MacLean has been fired. Confirmed on NJ.com

So Vanderbeek's going to throw $100 million at Kovy, all the other millions we spent this offseason on Volchenkov, Tallinder and Hedberg but he's worried about an extra million for a head coach? Sorry, not buying it. If it is true we're in a lot more trouble than even the record suggests we are.

There just aren't great replacements out there in-season, you're not getting someone' assistant right now.

maybe you haven't noticed, but some things have changed since the summer. if lou hires someone like constantine and then fires him at the end of the season, the devils will have 3 coaches on their payroll.

I'm not going to lay all the blame on Mac, but yeah, he was in over his head to say the least. Hiring a rookie coach is always a risk but this situation was not one a rookie coach should be dealing with. Injuries, underperforming players, roster trouble..

I never thought it would ever get to this point for this franchise. It's basically a total circus these days.

This decision was at least 15 games too late which makes it even more frustrating. The bottom pretty much fell out in December but it was obvious weeks ago that this was a fast sinking ship. Hopefully the team will be able to compete now. I guess Lou really had no choice because they have clearly been the worst team in the league recently. Watching them play over the last few weeks has been nothing short of horrible.

" 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1!! And the oldest trophy competed for in North America, LORD STANLEY'S CUP, has made it's way through the Lincoln Tunnel! To the Meadowlands! To the Garden State! THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS ARE THE 1995 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!" Mike Miller, June 24th, 1995

" I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the dominion" Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston

I'm not going to lay all the blame on Mac, but yeah, he was in over his head to say the least. Hiring a rookie coach is always a risk but this situation was not one a rookie coach should be dealing with. Injuries, underperforming players, roster trouble..

I never thought it would ever get to this point for this franchise. It's basically a total circus these days.

This decision was at least 15 games too late which makes it even more frustrating. The bottom pretty much fell out in December but it was obvious weeks ago that this was a fast sinking ship. Hopefully the team will be able to compete now. I guess Lou really had no choice because they have clearly been the worst team in the league recently. Watching them play over the last few weeks has been nothing short of horrible.

+1

0

Winner of the 2010-2011 Hobey Baker Award for Best Rookie Poster.Official Keeper of Martin Brodeur's Ending Powerplay Whistle & KOVALtine, the drink with the shelf life of 15 years.

I'm worried this has come entirely too late to make any difference. Best case, we may surge just enough to finish 9th or 10th, and fvck ourselves out of a top 2 pick. Tanking at this point is in the long-term best interest of the franchise. We need an impact player in the draft. Big time.

"Quite frankly, all the players are getting paid too much and all the contracts are too long," general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "But if you want to compete in this market and you want to win, there are some things you have to do."

Agreed. A top pick would be nice but there are multiple issues with it. First off, the pick may never turn out. It happens. Secondly, the pick, especially if it's on D, will likely not be able to help us for a few seasons.

Never ever should a team lose on purpose. That's bush league bullsh!t It's just not the way things should be done. I rather see the team go on a run and fall short and finish in 9th place instead of watching this garabage that we have been exposed to the first half of this season. This has been trying for every one involved. A complete mess. Respect means a lot and right now this franchise is getting zero of it. They need to get this turned around in the right direction asap.

" 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1!! And the oldest trophy competed for in North America, LORD STANLEY'S CUP, has made it's way through the Lincoln Tunnel! To the Meadowlands! To the Garden State! THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS ARE THE 1995 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!" Mike Miller, June 24th, 1995

" I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the dominion" Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston

God do I hope this moves works out. I was just talking about how Lemaire was way better for this team than JMac was, but the Devils sure weren't able to show results the second half of last season at all. I think I'd be happy if we finished the year with a three-game winning streak of any capacity. I suppose we'll just have to see.

And that is your right as an American sir.I'd like to hear why though.

Because you owe it to your fanbase(especially STH/future STH) to put on the best product possible on the ice night after night? Tanking for someone who might not even work out or be on the squad next year isn't the answer. Ask Toronto, Edmonton, etc.

as i've said since the talk of 1st overall picks and tanking has come up, it's just not a good idea. it's a fine idea for a franchise in total rebuild, but that is not this franchise. we have 4 guys in their prime who have shown themselves to be pretty darn good hockey players (parise, zajac, kovalchuk, volchenkov). by the time we'd come out of the 'tank', parise and zajac might both be gone.

The best option for this team would be a "Flyer Rebuild" where you have one cursed season, purge what you can that isn't part of the team's future at the trade deadline, get a Top-10 pick that'll project into the line-up within 2-years, and head right back into it with those new pieces.